Born Under The Wrong Stars
by aria009hera
Summary: Arnav is left all alone... Alone with a newborn in his hands. Khushi needs money. Lots of money to get her dad treated for Cancer.. What happens when she turns out as the babysitter for his nephew? Do sparks fly? Do misunderstandings occur? Do secrets come out? Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

He tried to concentrate on the _thing_ wiggling in front of him. Strange, when was the last time he had to try so hard to focus?

Well, it wasn't completely wrong for him to be out of sync. He had just lost all of his family a few hours back.

The only thing that remained was in his arms. And for some reason, he felt pure disgust for it.

Why wouldn't he. That thing had managed to take away his only remnant of a family away from him.

He heard the baby wail out loud, maybe irritated by the frigid posture his arms were in, or maybe by sensing the cold lethal loathing that was emanating out of him for the infant.

He instantly handed over the baby to the nurse there. Better that it stayed away from him.

The mother of this child had meant everything to him. She was whole of his family. And this! This child had managed to take away whatever was left.

Arnav felt empty. Even more than the last time a tragedy involving death had happened with him. Atleast last time, he had Di to hold on to.

But now with even Di gone, the spawn taking her life to fuel its own, Arnav didn't know what to do anymore.

Khushi didn't know what to do anymore.

The doctors were saying that it was difficult for him to get out of hospital. His condition was getting worse by the day, and he needed extensive care.

The problem was, she didn't have enough money to keep him here.

Her only family, her babuji, was dying slowly and painfully, and there was nothing she could do.

Dejected, she left his room and made her way to pediatrics. All her days here, whenever she had felt down in the dumps, she would go there and play with the children, somehow gaining her spirit back with them.

They seemed to give her the energy to survive all of this mess.

Life hadn't exactly been kind to her.

First Amma's accident.

Then Babuji's cancer.

It almost made her feel she had been born at some inauspicious time. Nothing good ever seemed to come her way.

And she tried. Tried as hard as she could. But it was as if the gods didn't want her to be happy.

Now the doctors wanted to start the chemotherapy, but how would she afford it?

She tried to find herself a job. Even went to some firm for a month or so. But a mere office assistants' job wasn't enough to finance her father's treatment. And when the boss had started demanding something else altogether from her, she had quit.

She jerked out of her thoughts by hearing a baby's wail. She realized she had reached the neonatal area. There were times when she came here to watch the babies sleeping away in the incubators. They looked so serene, without a care in the world. Drowsing away comfortably into an entirely unknown land.

She had always been good with babies. What with the amount of time she spent in _Pradaan, _the orphanage which was so dear to her heart, she had almost got fine-tuned to babies.

But this baby, its crying seemed to disturb her somewhere deep within. She looked around to find where it was coming from.

And for the next few moments, she _froze_.

Never in her entire life had she seen a man's face laced with disgust at holding a baby in their arms, and right now, in front of her eyes, she saw him, giving the child away as if the mere touch of it was so repulsive that he would puke any moment.

How could a man be this frigid?

The baby cried even louder, and Khushi's heart ached some more at that sound. How could his not? She wondered.

He was dressed in all black, more heavily than the weather in Delhi demanded right now, and somehow the aura covering him felt as if he was in mourning, not celebrating childbirth.

What a weird sight he was!

"Mr. Raizada, when will you be taking the baby home?" the nurse enquired with him.

Like he had the answer to that. If he had it his way, that baby would never be in his vicinity.

But then, his sister wouldn't want that.

And even if she wasn't with him anymore, even if she chose the baby over her own life leaving him completely alone, he would still never deny Di what she wanted.

He cleared his throat before he spoke, unsure of his voice after ages.

"Would you keep it here a little while longer? I have to take care of things first."

"I understand your loss Mr. Raizada, but I am sorry. The hospital cannot hold a healthy baby for more than 48 hours." The nurse uttered helplessly, knowing full well the grief this young man was going through.

"Thank you." He said lifelessly, taking heavy steps to get the paper work done to prepare for Di's _antyeshti_.

Khushi saw the guy leaving, and then, ran towards the nurse that was carrying the baby.

"Yeh chup kyun nahi ho raha?" She asked, worried.

"Ho jaaega… It's normal for newborns to cry this much, Khush..." the nurse smiled, while cooing to the baby to stop.

She couldn't take his crying anymore, and took him in her own lap. Quite miraculously, the baby stopped crying.

"See, I told you. It's normal. Now put him in the crib. Poor baby…" the nurse said and left.

While Khushi ignorantly nodded with the nurse, thinking the nurse was stating about that dark and twisty man just now.

Arnav had just brought _it _home. And _it_ just wouldn't stop crying! What the hell happened to the babysitter the nurse in the hospital had promised to send asap?

What was he supposed to do? For a split second, he thought of calling Aman and asking him to babysit, when he heard the doorbell ring.

He hurried to the door, heaving a sigh of relief that the babysitter had finally arrived. Yet what he saw as soon as he opened the door made him doubt the nurses' sanity. There was a frail looking girl standing there, who probably looked as if she had just turned 18! How did she even have any experience with this sort of work?

"Hello. I am Khushi, The caretaker you had asked for." Khushi introduced herself, her smile disappearing as soon as she saw it was that same man she had seen the other day in black.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Hello. I am Khushi, The caretaker you had asked for." Khushi introduced herself, her smile disappearing as soon as she saw it was that same man she had seen the other day in black.

"You? Are you sure you were the one assigned for this job? Not your mother?" Arnav didn't bother with the pleasantries; his mood was already heavy with the baby's crying.

Why the hell did this man prejudice everything and everyone in his vicinity? She thought. Wasn't he in desperate need of help right now, given the fact, she could still hear the baby cry?

"I am more than capable of doing this, Mr..? You know, it would be a help if you introduced yourself first! Aur itna ro kyun raha hai woh? Aapne kab usse khilaaya tha last? Bataaiye?" She burst in full form, shoving him aside to get a hold on the child. So much crying wasn't good for the baby in the first few days.

Did he just push him out of her way? In his own home?

She was stomping to the sound the baby was making, and he just couldn't help but follow her in that moment. He still wasn't sure whether she was capable or not of this, but right now, he would give anything to shut the child up.

She was still mumbling endlessly, and he really really tried to focus on what she was saying, but to no avail.

They entered the baby's room, and she took it in her arms instantly, lulling it softly.

She had transformed herself from the hypernova to the soothing angel so rapidly; he stood there dumbfounded for a moment or two in shock.

"When did you last feed him?" She asked in a hushed voice, as the baby boy had stopped crying but was rolling and popping his tongue out every moment or two.

"I haven't… Since I brought it home…" He stuttered, probably first time in his life, at the authority this stranger possessed over his own nephew.

"Ssshhh…" She hushed again, as the baby had turned his head in the direction of the man's voice.

She couldn't help but smile at the baby's attentive eyes, they were just so beautiful, perfect big puddles of brown. Under a certain light, they did resemble the man's eyes, just a less sad version.

"Aapko doodh garam karna aata hai?" She enquired, quite already aware of the answer.

Did she just ask him that? What did he look like, exactly, to her?

He barged out of the room, not bothering to answer her, and she heard him scream out something loud, to which she instinctively covered the baby's ears.

"HARI PRAKASH!"

"HARI PRAKASH!"

"HARI PRAKASH!"

She couldn't hear anything anymore, but within minutes, a person, in his late 30s, who seemed like a housekeeper entered the room, looking apologetic.

"Ji, Arnav bhaiyya ne kaha aapko yeh chaahiye…" HP looked concerned, his eyes hovering on the baby.

Khushi stared for a second at the glass of milk in front of her, and sighed. God, they needed her.

"Arnav kaun?" She asked, putting the baby in the crib, taking matters into her own hand now.

"Woh Arnav Singh Raizada. Aap abhi toh thi unke saath… Yeh lijiye." HP stammered.

"Aap isse rakhiye apne paas, bas mujhe kitchen kahaan hai bataaiye… Aur apna naam bhi…" She generously said to the almost shaking guy. _Didn't anyone here believe in giving introductions? _She thought.

"Your weird noises are disturbing me. Keep them low."

She jerked her head in that direction, while the baby kept on sucking Khushi's milk covered thumb.

Her face involuntarily frowned at that, and she turned her head away from him, praying for him to leave. She still knew she would have to face him as soon as the baby fell asleep, as they still hadn't decided whether she was hired or not.

How the hell would she coddle the baby if she didn't make those noises? This man was surely berserk!

She fixed the blankets in the crib for the thousandth time. She knew she was stalling it; buying unnecessary time. The baby had gone to sleep almost an hour ago, and given the amount of sleep newborns required, she was sure he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon.

She let out a prolonged cold sigh, finally making her way out of the baby's room, and started combing the house for the so-called Arnav's whereabouts.

"Aapko kuch chaahiye, Khushiji?" She jumped a little at the unexpected voice from behind.

"Haan Hari Prakashji, Arnavji kahaan hai?" She smiled as she asked, her throat still choky dreading the negotiation that would ensue.

"Woh study room mei hai… Aaiye mai aapko le chalta hu…" HP said, and she followed silently behind him, absent-minded.

_"Khushi, If you want a high-paying job, there is a place I can refer you to… But the guy is a single father." The nurse had said. _

_And she had felt relieved at finally having an opportunity to get some money for babuji's chemotherapy. _

_She had jotted down the address, and rushed as fast as she could, dreading missing a golden opportunity. _

She bumped into HP's back, and realized he had come to a halt.

"Aap thik toh hai naa, Khushiji?" he questioned.

She nodded slightly, and made her way in, where he seemed to be furiously typing something on his laptop.

"Arnavji?" She said, unsure of the usage of 'ji' for the guy that irked her to new ends.

He stopped whatever he was doing, and looked up in her direction.

"Yes?" He asked, his one eyebrow perched up.

The wretched freaking expression on his face, that felt so judgmental, made her want to rip something.

"Nothing." She cleared her throat, maybe she didn't want to work for this guy after all, "Hum jaa rahe hai…"

"What?" He stood up, not expecting that out of her.

"Humei nahi karna hai aapke liye kaam." She spout out, "Hum jaa rahe hai!"

"How much money do you need?" She heard his smirk in that question, and she swore to Devi Maiyya she could hit him with her chappal.

"Aapki himmat kaise hui yeh bolne ki!" She shot at him, "Aapko lagta hai hum yeh naatak kar rahe hai paise badhaane ke liye?"

"I have known people like you all my life. Complete sellouts…" His cold words, for some unknown reason, hurt her a bit more than they were supposed to.

She couldn't take it anymore, and stomped out from his place without uttering a word.

_Did he just make her flee? Fucking lord, what would he do with the baby now? _Arnav couldn't believe the scare he felt at raising the child on his own.

He rushed towards the main door after a few minutes of contemplating, she wouldn't have gone far.

And just then, the doorbell ring.

He opened the main door, only to find her standing there, her head bowed down.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"So? What had you said about money a few seconds back?" He jibed, a crooked smirk appearing on his face, while his insides heaved a sigh of relief that she was back.

She had felt that she had been harsh, turning him down just based on his expression. And the thought of conjuring up money for Babuji's Chemo had stopped her cold in her tracks.

Yet, the disgusting smirk on his face had flared her up again, and she wasn't sure that she could control herself from whacking him upside down any longer.

Khushi, for a moment, couldn't understand why this man's prejudice was affecting her so much. This wasn't the first time somebody had underestimated her. And she always proved them wrong. She lurked around long enough to establish her worth too.

Then why did this man arouse such unadulterated repulsion in her? Why didn't she want to even turn him wrong? Why did she want to flee in the first place, when she knew, that no other place would offer her this amount of money?

"Hum apna batua andar bhool gaye the." She smiled, keeping her frown minimal, watching with pleasure how his face leached of any color.

She thanked the gods that she realized that just in time, to shove it his face. _Go ahead Mr. Smirkzada, make a comeback from that now!_ She mentally chirped.

**_Stop her when you can... _**He heard a voice loud and clear, as a bell chime. Was she really standing there? He couldn't believe what he saw. **_Di... _**

Why was he seeing Di behind her? He felt his face go colorless. What would this puny girl think of him, Arnav regained his composure in a split second, but when he saw the girl smiling, he couldn't understand.

"What?" He asked, trying to understand the reason behind the smile.

_Was he playing dumb?_ She couldn't believe he was. She cleared her throat, and told him again.

"Humaara batua golu ke room mei reh gaya hai!" She said, urging him to let her in.

_Ohh!_ So she wasn't here to beg him for the job. _What the..._

"Golu?" he questioned.

"Haan.. Aur kya kahenge? Aapne naam toh diya nahi hai. Ab hum jaake le le?" She questioned back. This guy was irking her to new extents. Now he looked as if he had seen a ghost. _Kya musibat hai inki? _

She took a step forward, only to be halted by his towering frame.

"NO." He stood there like a wall, stopping her from going inside. He knew he wanted her. There was no way in hell he could raise the wailing creature on his own. He treasured his sanity more than that. And considering how he had just caught a glimpse of his dead sister, he was more than sure he was nearly losing it.

"Kya? Kyun?" She asked, puzzled at how the ruthless smirk had just turned into a completely blank face. _What was he thinking?_

"You have barged into my home once. I do not plan on letting that happen again." He felt a smirk building up in him on devising the plan in his head.

"Hum? When did I barge in?" She was confused. What was this guy planning?

"How many times have you come in, Khushi?" He smirked now. But something in his smirk told him it wasn't contempt; he felt a genuine rush on using her first name.

She felt a jolt in her spine on hearing her name come out of his mouth... But _why?_

She looked puzzled. What the hell was wrong with this man?

"Hmmm.. I suppose you are not even capable of answering such simple questions. Right, Ms. Gupta?" He questioned again.

"Ek baar.. Bas ek baar hi toh aaye hai.. Aur Golu ro raha tha. Hum aapse Hello Hi karte rehte toh he would have become dehydrated with all the crying." She told him sincerely.

"Stop calling him Golu! That's not his name!" He spit out, the bile in the pit of his stomach increasing at him having to refer to the baby.

**_She was sighing. Why? Did she look disappointed in him for hating the baby? Di... 'Aisa mat karo Chotey' She chimed again, looking dejected._**

He heard her. Loud and clear again. What was even worse was he saw her lower her head in disappointment.

"Arnavji?" She was standing at mere inches from him now. He looked ...distraught. Like the time she had seen him in hospital. A dark aura seemed to have emerged from him. And she wasn't quite sure whether he was alright. So, she asked again, this time holding his hand, jerking him a little, "Arnavji? Kya hua?"

He felt a bit electrocuted at seeing her so close to him. For Arnav, it had always been about his personal space. Never ever had somebody dared to cross into his personal set boundary. Well, except Di of course. But this girl, standing so close to him, made him want to step back a little.

He cleared his throat, "Kuch nahi." And moved away from her, maintaining a distance now.

"Hum apna batua le le fir jaa kar?"

"No! If you want your wallet back, agree to the job." He got back into his steely ruthless avatar.

Her nostrils flared up at the audacity of this man!

Devi Maiyya, stop him or she would surely KILL him!

"Nahi! Aapki itni himmat!" She shot back, agitated.

"Ohh? So you don't want it? Alright then... Maybe I'll burn it." He stepped back into the house saying that, and shut the door on her face.

He instantly heard her pound on the door, and smiled, full-fledged. How little it took to blackmail her.

He opened the door, and watched her huffing and puffing.

"So? Its money after all, right? Yes or No?" He questioned her.

"Yes..." She sighed dejectedly, and entered in.

**_Apologize Chotey... Don't do this to my baby..._**

He heard Di's voice as he closed the door, hoping that the door would keep her out of the house.

She made her way into the baby or as she addressed him, Golu's room.

Clutching her wallet to her chest, she heaved a huge sigh of relief.

He followed her back, wanting to get away from the hallucinations he was seeing now. Somehow, she lulled him into a sense of security for a while when they bickered.

"Really? How much money would that wallet have, that you are clutching it so tightly?" He questioned her, contempt clear in his voice.

"Isme humaari Amma ki aakhri photo hai... Aap nahi samjhenge." She answered him, teary eyed.

He couldn't find his voice anymore. He just couldn't.

He turned his back, and strode out of the room as fast as he could, before the dark cloud appeared and his throat choked. He reached his own room and crashed down to the floor, her words reverberating in his ears.

_Aap nahi samjhenge..._


End file.
